Mineral processing

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for processing ores by assaying the ore to determine what ore constituent has to be separated, by controlling the volume of ore processed at one time, and/or by controlling the amount of heat added to or extracted from the ore.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. Non-provisional application Ser.No. 13/786,236 filed on Mar. 5, 2013, which is a continuation-in-partand claims the benefit of the U.S. Non-provisional application Ser. No.12/819,152 filed Jun. 18, 2010, which claimed the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/268,916, filed Jun. 18, 2009. All priorfiled applications mentioned above are hereby incorporated by referenceto the extent that they are not conflicting with the presentapplication.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to mining technology and moreparticularly to environmentally safe mineral processing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Currently, minerals in ore bodies can be extracted using environmentallyunsafe techniques. Such a technique is the cyanide leaching. Expensiveand still risky, lined environmental pits have to be designed andconstructed in order to attempt to catch and hold the toxic chemicals,and prevent them from leaking into the ground water. Monitor wells haveto be drilled and continuous monitoring have to be performed by highlytrained staff. Often, the liner of the environmental pits breaks and thedangerous chemicals infiltrate and compromise the ground water.

Another technique currently used to extract minerals from ores is theflotation technique. This technique is also expensive andenvironmentally unsafe. Furthermore, these existing mineral processingtechniques require the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), which means that, even if assuming that these techniques will beultimately approved, which is not always the case, additionalexpenditures of money and time have to be incurred by an interestedparty. In fact, gold mines are closed down and can't open due to thefact that cyanide leaching is no longer allowed. Moreover, low grade orebodies are too expensive to process using these techniques.

The problems and the associated solutions presented in this sectioncould be or could have been pursued, but they are not necessarilyapproaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore,unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of theapproaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely byvirtue of their presence in this section of the application.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above described problems are solved by the present invention. Thepresent invention teaches a dry mineral processing technique using oreelement's specific heat, and uses no harsh chemicals. Thus, this is anenvironmentally safe mineral processing technique. Therefore, no EPAapproval and no environmental pit and no monitoring are required inorder to practice the teachings of the present invention. Gold mines,which have been closed due to the fact that cyanide leaching is nolonger allowed, may open and operate using the technique of the presentinvention. Other mines may be able to open as well since impurities areremoved by the present invention's technique, thus allowing smeltingwithout causing environmental air pollution. Furthermore, low grade orebodies may be processed as this is an inexpensive mineral processingtechnique. Moreover, all the valuable minerals can be extracted from theore in a single process, which considerably reduces the expenses withthe ore processing and the overall mining operating costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes,embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the figures of theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the top view of a pilot plant for processing ores.

FIG. 2 illustrates the side views of the same pilot plant for processingores.

FIG. 3 shows a cup 306 being dumped over the side into a bin, using adumping mechanism comprising a striking part 301, a lever 302 and anL-shape arm 303, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the front view of a system for filling up the cup 406with one piece of ore 405, the system comprising the feeder 401, whichcontains the ore 402, and, the drum 403 with its holes 404.

FIG. 5 illustrates the side view of the same system for filling up thecup 506 with one piece of ore 505, the system comprising the feeder 501,which contains the ore 502, and, the drum 503 with its holes (notshown).

FIG. 6 illustrates the perspective view of a three-box conveyor 609 forprocessing the ore (not shown) from cup 606; the cup 606 has two arms607 a and 607 b attached to it and designed to pass through and makecontact with guides 608 a and 608 b respectively, in accordance withseveral embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates the partial perspective view of a conveyor 709 forprocessing the ore 710 from cup 706; the cup 706 has two arms 707 a and707 b attached to it and designed to pass through and make contact withguides 708 a and 708 b respectively, in accordance with severalembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates the perspective view of a five-box conveyor 809 forprocessing the ore (not shown) from cup 806; the cup 806 has two arms807 a and 807 b attached to it and designed to pass through and makecontact with guides 808 a and 808 b respectively, in accordance withseveral embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

What follows is a detailed description of specific embodiments of theinvention in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will bemade to the attached drawings, and the information included in thedrawings is part of this detailed description. The specific embodimentsof the invention, which will be described herein, are presented forexemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should beunderstood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made bysomeone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scopeof the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present inventionis defined only by the accompanying claims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the terms dump box, dump bucket and cup areused herein interchangeably as they mean the same thing in this context.

FIG. 1 illustrates the top view of a pilot plant for processing ores.This is a diagrammatic representation of a sample plant structure thatmay be used to practice the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates theside views of the same pilot plant for processing ores.

FIG. 3 shows a cup 306 being dumped over the side into a bin, using adumping mechanism comprising a striking part 301, a lever 302 and anL-shape arm 303, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The cup 306 is mounted to the conveyor belt using one hingeon one of the edges of the cup's bottom so that the cup 306 may engagein pivotal motion when its L-shape arm is struck by a lever 302, whichin turn is struck by a computer-controlled striking part 301. Whileother dumping mechanisms are known in the art and may be used with thepresent invention, this particular approach may be preferred as itensures a fast dumping, which is critically important here. This isbecause the one piece of ore in each cup is quite small (e.g., 1/16×1/16× 1/16 inches), and therefore, a fast dumping is necessary in orderto achieve a practical efficiency of the ore processing system using theteachings of the present invention. One of ordinary skills in the artwould recognize that other fast dumping mechanisms and/or techniques maybe used without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the front view of a system for filling up the cup 406with one piece of ore 405, the system comprising the feeder 401, whichcontains the crushed ore 402, and, the drum 403 with its holes 404. Theore 402 is first crushed and screened to a desired size as for example3/16 inches (i.e., 3/16× 3/16× 3/16 inches) and then loaded into thefeeder 401. The holes 404 in the drum 403 are made of a necessary sizein order to accommodate a piece of ore of the size chosen (e.g., 3/16inches). When turning against the ore 402, the drum's holes 404 arefilled with a piece of ore. Later, when the drum's holes 404 are abovethe cups 406 the pieces of ore 405 are gravitationally transferred fromthe drum's holes 404 to the cups 406. The cups 406 are then transportedby the conveyor belt to the processing area (i.e., the 3-boxes or5-boxes area described below) and ultimately to the appropriate dumpingbin.

FIG. 5 illustrates the side view of the same system for filling up thecup 506 with one piece of ore 505, the system comprising the feeder 501,which contains the crushed ore 502, and, the drum 503 with its holes(not shown).

FIG. 6 illustrates the perspective view of a three-box conveyor 609 forprocessing the ore (not shown) from cup 606; the cup 606 has two arms607 a and 607 b attached to it and designed to pass through and makecontact with guides 608 a and 608 b respectively, in accordance withseveral embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 6 depicts a 3-boxsystem for practicing a preferred method (3-box method) for processingores based on the differences in specific heat, in accordance with theteachings of the present invention. Box 1 contains a digital opticalthermometer that can take two thousand temperature measurements a secondwith an accuracy of 0.01 degree (one hundredth of a degree centigrade).Such a thermometer is available commercially. Box 1 also contains ameans to measure temperature by contact using a digital contactthermometer. Other quick and precise temperature measurement tools maybe employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.The ore cup 606 is made like a hot plate. Furthermore, each ore cup 606has a unique bar code that can be read by a bar code scanner.

Box 2 contains a laser that can send a laser beam of power in watts toheat up the ore piece in cup 606 with exact amount of calories of heat.Box 2 may also contains a direct current supply that can heat the cupwith a precise amount of calories of heat. Other quick and preciseheating (or cooling) tools and/or equipment may be employed withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. Box 1, 2 and 3, alsocontains a bar code reader.

When the ore cup 606 enters box 1, the digital optical thermometerdetermines the temperature of the piece of ore in the ore cup 606. Thebar code of ore cup 606 is determined by the barcode reader. Thetemperature of the piece of ore in the cup may be also determined by thecontact thermometer. The arms 607 a and 607 b of the cup 606 makecontact with the metal guides 608 a and 608 b, hence, allowing contacttemperature measurement to be made. The ore cup's 606 bar code, thedigital optical temperature of the ore in the ore cup 606, the contacttemperature of the piece of ore in the ore cup 606 is sent to thecomputer.

Next, the ore cup 606 enters box 2 where the laser sends a laser pulseof a precise calorie of heat to heat the piece of ore in the ore cup606. If the laser is not used, the arms 607 a and 607 b make contactwith the metal guides 608 a and 608 b and a precise amount of power isadded to the piece of ore in the cup 606 by the direct current supply.The current supply sends a precise amount of power to the hot plate cup606 to add the precise amount of calories of heat to the piece of ore.

Next, the ore cup 606 enters box 3. Box 3 is the same as box 1. Thedigital optical thermometer determines the temperature of the piece ofore in the ore cup 606. The contact thermometer may also determine thetemperature of piece of ore in the ore cup 606. The temperature of thepiece of ore from the digital optical thermometer and/or the digitalcontact thermometer is sent to the computer. The bar code of the ore cupis sent to the computer.

It is well known that the heat (in calories (cal)) gained or lost by abody in which there is no change of state equals mass (in grams (g))times specific heat (in cal/gc) times temperature change (in centigrade(c)).

The computer has the initial temperature of the piece of ore and the thetemperature after the precise amount of heat is added. The computersubtracts the initial temperature from the second temperature; this isthe temperature change. In this ore body example (see below), we havenine minerals in pieces of approximately 0.004 cubic centimeters. Eachpiece can vary by plus or minus ten percent in one percent increments.This results in 189 (21×9) different mineral piece size possibilities.The computer has the specific heat of all the nine items. The computerhas already calculated the temperature change of the 189 differentitems. The computer has already selected the calories of heat (e.g., 0.1cal-0.5 cal) to add the ore samples by considering factors such as thesize of the mineral piece, the specific heat and the flash point of therespective mineral (i.e., coal in this example). This is important, as,for example, too much heat may burst the mineral piece into flame.

The computer has already calculated 189 possible temperature changes. Arange (e.g., +/−3%) of the temperature changes may also be calculatedand used by the computer considering factors such as the variation inthe sizes of the ore pieces being processed. Therefore, the computer hasa look up table that contains all the possible temperature changes, themass, the specific heat, the name of the mineral, the density and thecalorie of heat used. Hence, the computer uses the look up table todetermine what the mineral is (e.g., coal, platinum, etc) based on thetemperature change, and/or the respective ranges, previously calculatedfor each mineral. If the temperature change calculated by subtractingthe temperature measured in box 1 from the temperature measured in box3, equals or falls into the range of the expected temperature change ofa certain mineral, previously calculated and tabulated by the computer,then the computer “knows” what the mineral is.

The the bar code of the ore cups are sent to the computer. The computeractivates the dump mechanism when the ore cup 606 is at the correct orecar containing the mineral in the ore cup. Each ore car has bar codereader; as the ore cups bar pass over the bar code reader, the computerknows the contents of the ore cup 606 and activates the dump mechanismwhen the ore cup passes over the correct ore car.

An alternative way of using this processing method is to “tell” thecomputer in advance what ore is actually being processed. For example,if coal ore is being processed, the computer would be instructed thatcoal should be expected in the cup 606. So, after calculating thetemperature change, the computer would use the look up table only toverify that, indeed, coal is in the cup 606 and dump it in the coal car.If not coal, the piece of ore in cup 606 would be dumped in a differentcar (e.g., a waste or special car).

The only way that two different samples may have the same temperature isif the mass of one of the samples is numerically equal to the specificheat of the other sample. In this ore body example (see above) we havenine different elements, thus, nine different specific coefficients ofheat. N things taken P at a time equals N-factorial divided byP-factorial times (N−P) factorial; in this example N=9 and P=2; 9factorial=362880 and 7 factorial=5040. Combinations=362880/(5040×2)=36.The computer calculates these possibilities, where two elements can havethe same temperature change, in advance, and dumps those ore pieces intospecial bins.

When determining the proper size for the ore to be crushed at, severalfactors may have to be considered. It is to be noted that the smallerthe ore piece, the more obvious the temperature change difference, dueto the presence of impurity, appears to be. This means that it may beeasier for the computer to detect the ore pieces which have impuritiesand dump them to the appropriate bins or cars. Therefore, a more preciseseparation of the pure ore from the impure ore may be achieved. Thus,greater reliability of the processing technique and system exists. Thepower of the heating source available (e.g., laser) may need to beconsidered as well. The larger the ore piece, the more powerful theheating source have to be.

If the ore piece is too small for a particular power of the heatingsource, the ore piece could burst into flames. Obviously, the greaterthe ore piece, the more efficient the processing system is as more oremay be processed in the same amount of time. A balancing act has to beperformed here to achieve the right equilibrium between reliability andefficiency of the processing system. For example, for coal, the 1/16inch size (i.e., 1/16 by 1/16 by 1/16) appears to be the right size ofthe ore piece for a laser currently available on the market.

To process a large amount of ore, conveyor belts with, for example,4,000 ore cups 606 and three boxes (i.e., Box 1 plus Box 2 plus Box 3).Each box of three may be able to process two thousand ore cups a second.Using copper as an example, each ore cup contains 7 grams of ore; 7times 2,000 times equals 14,000 grams a second. This equals 30.83 poundsa second, 1850.22 pounds a minute, or 55.5 tons an hour. This is onedump truck an hour. So, if you have 80 dump trucks, you may need to have80 conveyor belts.

FIG. 7 illustrates the partial perspective view of a conveyor 709 forprocessing the ore 710 from cup 706; the cup 706 has two arms 707 a and707 b attached to it and designed to pass through and make contact withguides 708 a and 708 b respectively, in accordance with severalembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates the perspective view of a five-box conveyor 809 forprocessing the ore (not shown) from cup 806; the cup 806 has two arms807 a and 807 b attached to it and designed to pass through and makecontact with guides 808 a and 808 b respectively, in accordance withseveral embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 8 depicts a 5-boxsystem for practicing another preferred method (5-box method) forprocessing ores based on the differences in specific heat, in accordancewith the teachings of the present invention. The advantage of thismethod is that, after crushing and screening the ore body to, forexample, 1/16 inch pieces (i.e., 1/16 inches by 1/16 inches by 1/16inches), variation in the size of the ore pieces does not impair theaccuracy of the ore processing based on differences in minerals'specific heat.

Boxes 1, 2 and 3 in FIG. 8 are identical as the boxes 1, 2 and 3 in FIG.6, respectively. Furthermore, box 4 is identical with box 2 and box 5 isidentical with box 3.

For exemplification purposes, let's assume that the ore being processedis coal. The ore body is crushed and screened to a desired size, as forexample, 1/16 inch (i.e., 1/16 inches by 1/16 inches by 1/16 inches).Again, it is not important if the pieces of ore vary in size, as forexample, with +/−3%. Next the pieces of ore (i.e., coal in this example)are loaded into the cups as described earlier (see FIGS. 4 and 5).Therefore, the cup 806 contains a piece of coal. In box 1, one or bothof the thermometers described above measure the temperature of the pieceof ore (i.e., coal in this example) in the cup 806 and the bar codereader reads the bar code of the cup 806. The temperature of the piececoal and the bar code of the cup 806 are sent to the computer. Thecomputer determines the exact quantity of heat to use for heating themineral piece by considering factors such as the size of the mineralpiece, the specific heat and the flash point of the respective mineral(i.e., coal in this example). This is important, as, for example, toomuch heat may burst the mineral piece into flame.

Next the cup 806 enters box 2, where a laser beam ofcomputer-predetermined quantity of heat (e.g., 0.1 (i.e., 1/10) calorie)is sent to the piece of coal in the cup. As, described earlier, a directcurrent of known power can also heat the piece of coal.

Next, in box 3, the temperature of the piece of coal is measured againand sent to the computer. The computer determines the first temperaturechange by subtracting the temperature measured in box 1 from thetemperature measured in box 3. Using the specific heat for coal, thedensity of the coal, the amount of heat used and the just-calculatedfirst temperature change, the computer calculates the mass of the coalpiece in cup 806. The formula used by the computer is: Heatadded=(specific heat)(mass)(temperature change), or, Mass=(heatadded)/((specific heat)(temperature change)). Since coal is used in thisexample, the computer uses the specific heat of coal, which is 0.17. Oneof ordinary skills in the art would recognize that the mass of the coalpiece in cup 806 may be calculated in different ways without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. For example, the weight of theore cup 806 may be predetermined and subtracted by the computer from theweight of the ore cup 806 with the coal piece in it. Both weights may bemeasured using, for example, any readily available electronic weighingmachine, which may be installed on the conveyor belt. The weightmeasurements will be sent to the computer.

The computer calculates the temperature change of this calculated massof coal, which the computer determined earlier, using 0.5 calories ofheat. Here are the underlying equations: 0.5=(mass computercalculated)(0.17×temperature change); (0.5)/((mass computercalculated)(0.17))=temperature change. Now, if the temperature changethat computer calculates equals five times the temperature changeobtained by subtracting the temperature measured in box 3 from thetemperature measured in box 5 (i.e., the second temperature change), thepiece of coal in cup 806 is pure coal.

The computer also multiplies this first temperature change by five.

Next, when the cup 806 is in box 4, the piece of coal is heat (by laseror contact) five times as much as in box 2 (e.g., 0.5 (i.e., 5/10)calorie). When the computer determines that in box 2 a certain amount ofheat should be used as described earlier, the computer does so by alsoverifying that the five-time greater amount of heat in box 4 would notcreate problems such as igniting the ore piece (i.e., coal in thisexample). In box 5, the temperature of the piece of ore is measuredagain and sent to the computer. A second temperature change iscalculated by the computer by subtracting the temperature measured inbox 3 from the temperature measured in box 5. If this second temperaturechange equals five times the first temperature change calculatedpreviously, and/or the expected temperature change based on the mass ofthe coal piece previously calculated, then the piece of ore in the cup806 is pure coal and, therefore, using the bar code, the computer willactivate the dumping mechanism when the cup 806 is above the carcontaining coal. Otherwise, the computer will ensure that the piece ofore in cup 806 is dumped in a different car (e.g., a special or wastecar).

The computer can be “told” (i.e., preset and/or pre-programmed) inadvance what ore is being processed (e.g., coal ore), and therefore,what mineral to expect in cup 806. Or, the computer can use the firsttemperature change value and the look up table to determine what themineral is or is likely to be. Then, if the second temperature changeequals five times the first temperature change, that would be theconfirmation that the mineral in cup 806 is pure.

The 3-box method and the 5-box method may be employed independently ofeach other or in combination. A user may choose to use the 3-box methodor the 5-box method. A user may also combine the two methods by, forexample, using the 5-box method as a second layer of verification toincrease the overall accuracy of the ore processing system. So, forexample, after the temperature is measured in box 3, the computercalculates the first temperature change and looks in the existing tablesto determine what the piece of ore consists of (e.g., coal).

Later, after the temperature in box 5 is measured, the computer performsa second determination by calculating the second temperature change andcomparing it with the first temperature change. If the secondtemperature change is greater than the first temperature change by thesame number of times as the number of times (e.g., five) the amount ofheat in box 4 was increased (when compared with the amount of heat inbox 2), that is a confirmation that the piece of ore is pure (e.g., purecoal). Boxes 4 and 5 may need to be added only if the crushed ore variessignificantly in size.

Here is the mathematical reasoning behind the method described above andused by the computer:

Heat gained=(specific heat of coal)(mass of coal)(temperature change)

0.1 cal.=(mass of coal)(specific heat of coal)(first temperature change)

0.5 cal.=(mass of coal)(specific heat of coal)(second temperaturechange)

(0.1)/((mass of coal)(specific heat of coal))=first temperaturechange  (eq. 1)

(0.5)/((mass of coal)(specific heat of coal))=second temperaturechange  (eq. 2)

Multiply eq. 1 by 5

(0.5)((mass of coal)(specific heat of coal))=5(first temperaturechange)  (eq. 3)

Subtract equation 2 from equation equation 3

0=5(first temperature change)−(second temperature change), or,

Second temperature change=5(first temperature change)

It should be understood that similar equations apply to minerals othersthan coal.

It should be also understood that if the coal piece in cup 806 is pure,its temperature change is different than that of a piece of coal thatcontains impurities such as, for example, one percent of iron sulfide(FeS). This is because the specific heat of the impurity (e.g., FeS) isdifferent than that of coal. Furthermore, because of the relative smallquantity of the impurity (e.g., 1-3%), increasing the amount of heatadded (e.g., five times) may accentuate the temperature changedifferences, between a piece of pure coal and a piece of impure coal,thus, making it easier for the computer to detect the impurity. Hence,the differences in temperature changes are used by the computer todetermine if the piece of coal in cup 806 is pure or not, and therefore,dump it in the appropriate ore car.

Again, the specific heat of a substance is numerically equal to thenumber of calories required to raise the temperature of one gram of thematerial with one degree centigrade. The specific heat is measured incalories/gram·centigrade.

Heat (in calories) equals mass of material (in grams) times specificheat of the material (in calories/gram·centigrade) times the material'schange in temperature (Q=mcΔT).

The above is a law of physics.

In the ore example used, the ore body contains the following elementswith the following physical properties (according to existingliterature):

Element specific heat density Name cal/gc g/cc Arsenic .078 5.73Antimony .0504 6.091 Copper .0821 8.9 Gold .0316 19.2 Molybdenum .0659.01 Silver .0558 10.43 Titanium .0275 4.5 Platinum .0234 21.37 Coal .172.25

Different sizes (e.g., 1/16 inches, ⅜ inches, etc) of the sample ore mayneed to be tested for specific heat determination purposes. This isbecause it is important to determine at the outset whether or not thespecific heat of the specific ore tested varies with the size of the orepiece to be processed. This could happen because, for example, heat maybe reflected differently for ore pieces of various dimensions. As it isoften the case in the industry, the tests may start by crushing the oreto samples of ⅜ inch by ⅜ inch by ⅜ inch; ⅜ inches=0.9525 centimeters.This has a volume of 0.864 cubic centimeters.

Next, you determine the specific heat, in one degree temperatureincrements, from, for example, minus 30 Fahrenheit to plus 90Fahrenheit. The temperature range to use for testing can vary. To helpin choosing the temperature range, the average temperatures in the areawhere the ore processing will occur may be considered. Testing the oresample for the actual specific heat values at different temperatures isimportant because it is known that the specific heat of a certainmaterial do vary depending on the actual temperature of that material.Therefore, it is important for the computer to have all this data whencontrolling the ore processing based on specific heat differences.

After determining the specific heat of the minerals in the sample ore,an assay may also need to be performed for the purpose of determiningwhat the concentration (e.g., 2%) of each mineral in the ore is. Thishelps calculate what the expected quantities for each mineral are at theend of the processing and, by comparing the expected quantities with theactual quantities obtained, the efficiency of the processing techniquemay be evaluated. This information (i.e., the assay's results), thetemperature, specific heat and the density of each mineral in the sampleore is then entered into a computer.

Next, the ore is crushed to 5/16 in by 5/16 in by 5/16 in; 5/16inch=0.7937 centimeters. This has volume of 0.5 cubic centimeters. Thespecific heat is determined, in one degree temperature increments, fromminus 30 to plus 90 F. After determining the coefficient of heat, anassay on the sample is done and this information is stored in acomputer: temperature, coefficient of heat, density, and assay results.

Next, the ore is crushed to 4/16 in by 4/16 in by 4/16 in; 4/16inch=0.635 centimeters. This has volume of 0.0156 cubic centimeters. Thespecific heat is determined, in one degree increments, from minus 30 toplus 90 F. After determining the coefficient of heat, an assay on thesample is done and this information is stored in a computer:temperature, coefficient of heat, density, and assay results.

Next, the ore is crushed to 3/16 in by 3/16 in by 3/16 in; 3/16in=0.4762 centimeters.

This has a volume of 0.0066 cubic centimeters. The specific heat isdetermined, in one degree increments, from minus 30 to plus 90 F. Afterdetermining the coefficient of heat, an assay on the sample is done andthis information is stored in a computer: temperature, coefficient ofheat, density, and assay results.

Next, the ore is crushed to 2/16 in by 2/16 in by 2/16; 2/16 inch=0.3175centimeters. This is a volume of 0.032 cubic centimeters. The specificheat is determined, in one degree increments, from minus 30 to plus 90F. After determining the coefficient of heat, an assay on the sample isdone and this information is stored in a computer: temperature,coefficient of heat, density, and assay results.

Next, the ore is crushed to 1/16 in by 1/16 in by 1/16 in; 1/16inch=0.15875 centimeters. This has a volume of 0.004 cubic centimeters.The specific heat is determined, in one degree increments, from minus 30to plus 90 F. After determining the coefficient of heat, an assay on thesample is done and this information is stored in a computer:temperature, coefficient of heat, density, and assay results.

For a volume of 0.864 cubic centimeters of the following minerals, andby adding 50 calories of heat, the following temperature changes areobtained:

Name temperature change in centigrade (c.) Arsenic   129 c. Antimony188.5 c. Copper  79.2 c. Gold  26.2 c. Molybdenum 98.82 c. Silver 99.44c. Titanium 467.63 c.  Platinum 115.73 c.  Coal   151 c.

An ore piece of 1/16 in by 1/16 in by 1/16 in (i.e., a volume of 0.004cubic centimeters) has the following mass:

Name Mass (grams) Arsenic .622 Antimony .024 Copper .035 Gold .0768Molybdenum .036 Silver .04172 Titanium .018 Platinum .0854 Coal .009

Adding one tenth of a calorie of heat to the following, at a volume of0.004 cubic centimeters, results in a temperature change of:

Name temperature change in centigrade Arsenic 58.2 c. Antimony 82.67 c Copper 34.8 c. Gold 41.25 c.  Molybdenum 42.6 c. Silver 42.9 c. Titanium87.16 c.  Platinum 50.8 c. Coal 65.3 c.

Adding one half of a calorie of heat to the following, at a volume of0.004 cubic centimeters, results in a temperature change of:

Arsenic 291 c. Antimony 413 c. Copper 174 c. Gold 206.02 c.   Molybdenum213.43 c.   Silver 214.77 c.   Titanium 435.8 c.   Platinum 254 c. Coal326 c.

It is to be noted that, as expected, when a higher amount of heat isadded, the temperature changes are greater, hence, easier for thecomputer to differentiate between the different minerals and/orpure/impure minerals. However, as noted earlier, when selecting theright amount of heat to be added, other factors have to be consideredsuch as the flash point of the particular ore being processed and thesize of the ore piece.

After the specific heat is determined for all the different densities,the computer calculates, for a known value of calorie of heat added tothe samples, the temperature change from one percent increase in volumeto an increase of ten percent in volume for each unique specific heat.For example, starting with volume 0.004 cubic centimeters and then,0.00404, 0.00408, 0.00412, 0.00416, 0.0042, 0.00424, 0.00428, 0.00432,0.00436, 0.0044 (all in cubic centimeters). And then, the computercalculates the temperature change for each unique specific heat fordecrease in volume from one percent to ten percent in increments of onepercent. For example, 0.004, 00396, 0.00392, 0.00388, 0.00384, 0.0038,0.00376, 0.00376, 0.00372, 0.00368, 0.00364 (all cubic centimeters).

This testing may be necessary as the ore pieces in the crushed ore mayvary in size. It is common in the industry to have a +/−3% variation inore piece size. A greater variation (e.g., +/−10%) may be chosen, justto be on the safe side. All this data comprising the various temperaturechanges for various ore piece sizes may need to be loaded into thecomputer. Therefore, the computer would have a range of temperaturechanges associated with a particular mineral. When the computer willdetect a temperature change falling within the prescribed range oftemperature changes associated with a particular mineral the computerwill “know” what the mineral is and it will dump it in the appropriatebin.

If this isn't accurate enough the increments become 0.001 increments(tenth of a percent). All of the above information is stored in acomputer look up table.

The computer has all densities of the ore crushed at various differentvolumes. The computer has the specific heat of all of the differentcomponents of the ore body. The computer calculates the temperaturechange of the various ore components at a known volume starting 0.004cubic centimeters starting with 0.01 calories of heat for all of thedifferent specific heat at 0.004 cubic centimeters. The computer, inincrements of 0.01 calories up to one calorie, calculates thetemperature change of the various different specific heats at volume0.004 cubic centimeters.

The computer does the same for the volume 0.004 cubic centimeters fromone percent increase in volume: 0.00404 cc, 0.004008 cc, 0.004012 cc,0.004016 cc, 0.004020 cc, 0.004024, 0.004028, 0.004032 cc, 0.004036 cc,0.00404 cc.

The computer does the same for 0.004 cubic centimeters from one percentdecrease in volume to a ten percent decrease in volume in one percentincrements: 00396 cc, 0.00392 cc, 0.00388 cc, 0.00384 cc, 0.00380 cc,0.00376 cc, 0.00372 cc, 0.00368 cc, 0.00364 cc, 0.00360 cc.

For the ore body in this example the computer has a total of 2100possible different temperatures for 0.004 cubic centimeters with anincrease of ten percent in volume to a decrease in volume of tenpercent.

The computer picks the calorie of heat that you need to add to the 0.004cubic centimeters to be able to tell exactly what the sample is exactlyout of the one hundred eighty one (181) different possibilities variousmineral volume variations at 0.004 cubic centimeters with a plus orminus 10 percent volume variation.

Whatever volume it is decided to crush the ore to, the computerdetermines the exact calorie of heat to use (e.g., 0.1 cal, 0.3 cal, 0.5cal, etc) in order to make the temperature changes the mostdistinguishable possible and to be able to determine exactly the oreelements to be separated.

For the sample ore used here, the following data may need to bepreloaded into the computer:

For Arsenic:

Volume (cc) mass (g) .004 .02292 .00396 .02269 .00392 .0224616 .00388.0222324 .00384 .0220032 .00380 .021774 .00376 .0215448 .00372 .02213256.00368 .0210864 .00364 .0208572 .00360 .020628The corresponding temperature changes in centigrade (c), at one calorieof heat: 559.75, 565.83, 570.77, 576.65, 583.66, 588.79, 595.06, 601.46,607.99, 614.68, 621.50.

For Copper, one calorie of heat:

Volume (cc) mass (g) temperature change (c.) .0044 .03916 311.03 .00436.038804 313.89 .00432 .038448 316.79 .00428 .038092 319.76 .00424.037736 322.77 .00420 .03738 325.85 .00416 .037024 328.98 .00412 .036668332.18 .00408 .036312 335.43 .00404 .035956 338.75 .00400 .0356 342.14.00396 .035244 345.59 .00392 .034888 349.12 .00388 .034532 352.78 .00384.034176 356.39 .00380 .03382 360.15 .00376 .033464 363.98 .00372 .033108367.89

For Gold, one calorie of heat:

Volume (cc): 0.0044 0.00436 0.00432 0.00428/00424 0.00420 0.004160.00412 0.00408 0.00404 0.00400 0.00396 0.00392 0.00388 0.00384 0.003800.00376 0.00372 Mass (g): 0.08448 0.083712 0.083944 0.082176 0.0814080.08064 0.079872 0.079104 0.078336 0.077568 0.0768 0.076032 0.0752640.074496 0.073728 0.07296 0.072192 0.071424

Temperature change (c): 374.59 378.03 381.53 385.09 388.72 392.43 396.20400.05 403.97 407.97 412.05 416.21 420.46 424.79 429.22 433.73 438.35443.07

For Silver, one calorie of heat:

Volume (cc): 0.004 0.00396 0.00392 0.00388 0.00384 0.00380 0.003760.00372 Mass (g): 0.04172 0.0413028 0.0408856 0.0404684 0.04005120.039034 0.0392168 0.0387996

Temperature change (c): 429.55 433.89 438.32 442.88 447.45 452.16 456.98461.89

For titanium one calorie of heat:

Volume (cc) mass (g) .0044 .0198 .00436 .01962 .00432 .1944 .00428.01926 .00424 .01908 .00420 .0189 .00416 .01872 .00412 .01854 .00408.01836 .00404 .01818 .00400 .01800 .00396 .01782 .00392 .01764 .00388.01746 .00384 .01724 .00380 .01710 .00376 .01692 .00372 .01674Temperature change (c): 1836.54 1853.40 1870.56 1888.04 1905.85 1924.001 '942.50 1961.36 1980.59 2000.20 2020.30 2046.40 2061.43 2082.682104.38 2126.52 2149.15 2173.26

For Platinum, one calorie of heat:

Volume (cc) mass (g) .0044 .09402 .00436 .0951732 .00432 .0923184 .00428.0914636 .00424 .0906088 .00420 .089754 .00416 .0888992 .00412 .0880444.00408 .0871896 .00404 .0863348 .00400 .08548 .00396 .0846353 .00392.0837704 .00388 .0829156 .00384 .06820608 .003800 .081206 .00376.0803512 .00372 .0794964Temperature change (c): 454.49 458.66 462.90 467.23 471.69 476.13 480.71485.38 490.14 494.97 499.94 504.99 510 14 515.40 520.77 526.25 531.85537.57

For Molybdenum, one cal heat:

Volume (cc) mass (g) .00400 .03604 .00396 .0356796 .00392 .0353192.00388 .0349568 .00384 .0034598 .00380 .034238 .00376 .0338776 .00372.0033156Temperature change (c): 426.87 431.19 435.59 440.08 444.66 449.34 454.12459.00

Using the teachings of the present invention, all of the elements thatare in an ore body in elemental form may be separated. Solid inorganiccompounds may be separated as well. Examples of such inorganic compoundsare listed below:

Name formula specific heat Aluminum chloride alcl4 .188 Aluminumfluoride alf3 .229 Aluminum hydroxide al(oh)4 .177 Aluminum oxide al203.174 Aluminum sulfate a12(so4)3 .184 Iodide nh4i .111 Nitrate nh4no3.306 Sulfate (nh4)3s04 .283 Antimony trisulfide sb2s3 .0829 Bariumcarbonate baco3 .0999 Molybdate camoo4 .165 Copper sulfate cuso4h2o .256Sulfide cu2s .129

One of ordinary skills in the art would recognize that the ore piece maybe cooled down instead of being heated up, and then calculate thetemperature change and use the specific heat to determine what the oreis, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The onlyimportant thing here is to add or withdraw a measurable quantity of heatto or from the ore.

The cooling down may be done by, for example, exposing the ore to a coolbox or chamber, which may be mounted on the conveyor belt, for acontrolled period of time. An alternative way of cooling the ore piecemay be by dropping a known quantity of cold water, of known temperature,on the ore piece. The cooling of the ore piece may be a preferredalternative for changing the ore's temperature in certain environmentalconditions, as for example, when the ore to be processed is alreadyrather warm.

Variable Volume Alternative

The following are the steps that may be taken to process ore using thisalternative method and system, characterized by the use of avariable/unknown volume of ore (or its components) in a cup and knownamount of heat applied to the ore (or its components) as describedbelow.

First, a single piece of ore is placed in a small cup. The temperatureof the piece of ore is measured. This first measured temperature is sentto the computer. Known amount of heat is either added to the piece ofore or heat is extracted from the piece of ore.

Next, the temperature of the piece of ore is measured again. This secondmeasured temperature is also sent to the computer. The computer thendetermines the temperature change, called delta T, by calculating thedifference between the second and the first measured temperature.

Typically, the ore body has already had an assay done. Thus, thecoefficient of heat for the minerals and waste in the ore are typicallyknown from the assay.

The computer knows the amount of heat that was added to the cup with thesmall piece of ore or the amount of heat extracted from the cup with thesmall piece of ore. The computer also knows the temperature changecalculated as described above, and it also knows the specific heat if acertain ore component (e.g., waste, cooper, etc) is assumed or expectedto be in the cup. The computer uses then the equation, Heat(known)=specific heat (known)×mass×temperature change (known), tocalculate the mass of the piece of ore in the cup.

Next, the temperature of the piece of ore is measured again. This thirdmeasured temperature is also sent to the computer.

The piece of ore is heated again or heat is extracted from the piece ofore, using also a known amount of heat. The amount of heat added orextracted this time may be the same or, for example, two to three timesgreater than the amount of heat used earlier, as described above. Thecomputer can and will then calculate an expected temperature change,knowing the amount of heat applied this time, the mass of the piece ofore previously calculated as described above, and the same specific heat(e.g., specific heat of waste, if waste is expected).

Next, the temperature of the ore piece is measured again and this fourthmeasured temperature is also sent to the computer. The computer thendetermines if the piece or ore in the cup is waste by comparing theexpected temperature change calculated as described above with theactual temperature change determined by computing the difference betweenthe fourth and the third measured temperature. If the two temperaturedifferences are equal, the piece of ore is pure waste and the cup willbe dumped to the waste bin. If not, the cup will be dumped to themineral bin, and the same process may be used to separate one-by-one theminerals from the mineral bin.

The variable volume method described above could also work with morethan one piece of crushed ore placed in the cup. The above process wouldbe the same. Furthermore, it should be apparent that the cup size mayvary with the amount of ore placed in the cup.

Variable Heat Alternative

A variable heat ore processing alternative method and system, asdescribed below, may be a good choice when, for example, the heatingdevice is not very precise, when the amount of heat applied to the orein an ore cup cannot be ascertained by the device, and/or when a lesssophisticated heating device is used in order to make the process andthe system less expensive.

What follows is a description of this alternative method and system.

In front of each cup is a metal disk 885 (FIG. 8) (or other shapes(e.g., rectangular shape 775, FIG. 7)) having a known volume and madefrom a known metal such as iron (Fe). Thus, the metal disk has its knownspecific heat. The disk is thermally insulated from the cups.

The temperature of the metal disk is measured (i.e., first disktemperature). Heat is added to or extracted from the disk using aheating or cooling device, for example, as described earlier herein.After the addition or extraction of heat, the temperature of the disk ismeasured again (i.e., second disk temperature). Both temperatures aresent to the computer. The computer calculates the temperature change(second temperature minus first temperature), and then, using theHeat=specific heat×mass×temperature change equation, it calculates theamount of heat that was added to (or extracted from) the metal disk.

Next, let's say that waste is being separated from the ore, and thus,the computer is expected to determine whether or not pure waste ispresent in the cups.

Because a precise/known volume of ore is in the cup, if it is assumed tobe waste (for example) its mass is also known (volume×density). Also,the specific heat of the waste is known. Then, using the same formula:Heat (known)=specific heat (known)×mass (known)×temperature change, thecomputer calculates the expected temperature change, if using the sameamount of heat used for the disc and calculated above, and if the ore inthe cup is pure waste.

Next, the temperature (first ore/waste temperature) of the ore in thecup is measured and is sent to the computer. Next, the same amount ofheat as applied to the metal disc is applied to the ore in the cup usingthe same or a duplicate heat device or source. This may be accomplishedfor example by exposing the ore to the same heat source for the sameamount of time.

After applying the heat (adding or extracting), the temperature of theore is measured again (second temperature) and the computer calculatesthe temperature change/difference between the two measured temperatures.If it is the same as the expected temperature change, the computer willdetermine that the ore in the cup is pure waste and it will dump it intothe waste bin. If the two temperature changes (expected and measured)are not the same, the cup will be dumped into a mineral bin.

Similarly, minerals such as cooper may be separated from the ore.

Precise Volume and Precise Heat Alternative

The following are the steps that may be taken to process ore using thisalternative approach characterized by the use of a known volume of ore(or its components) in a cup and known amount of heat applied to the ore(or its components) as described below. First, the ore body is assayedfor a temperature range, preferably minus 20 degrees Celsius (c;centigrade) to 100 c. To do so, a cup is filled with a known volume ofore waste (“waste”) and the temperature of the waste is brought, if notalready there, to minus 20 c (i.e., initial or first temperature) by,for example, cooling it in a freezer. Waste may be any undesirableelement/component of the ore to be processed such as granite. Next, aprecise amount of heat is added to or extracted from the waste,employing for example methods and system described earlier, and the newtemperature (i.e., final or second temperature) is measured and is sentto the computer.

Next, the process is repeated with the initial temperature of the wastein the cup of known volume being set preferably a tenth of a degreehigher, to minus 19.9 c. Next, as before, a precise amount of heat isadded to or extracted from the waste, employing for example methods andsystem described earlier, and the new temperature is measured and issent to the computer. This process is repeated again and again for eachtenth of degree increment, to 19.8, 19.7, and so on, to 100 degreesCelsius. Thus, at the end of this process, the computer has a look uptable for the expected temperature of the waste when the waste receives(or loses) a precise amount of heat while the waste has a certaininitial temperature that falls within the assayed range of minus 20 c to100 c. It should be observed that, typically, the actual temperatures ofthe ore to be processed will fall within the minus 20 c to 100 ctemperature range.

Next, the above assay process is also performed for each mineral (e.g.,cooper, gold, etc) in the ore body.

Once all of the above assays are completed, and the data is stored intoa computer, the ore may be processed. To do so, the cup is filled with aknown volume of crushed ore and the initial/first temperature of the orein the cup is measured and is sent to the computer. Next, the crushedore of known volume in the cup has the same amount of heat, i.e., theamount of heat used in the assay described above, added to or extractedfrom it. Next, the second/final temperature is measured and is sent tothe computer. The computer now knows what the cup contains (e.g., waste,cooper, etc) by using the look up tables recording the results of theassays previously performed as described above.

For example, if the first temperature measured is minus 19.5 and thesecond temperature measured is the same as the second temperaturerecorded by the computer during the assay of the waste having theinitial temperature of minus 19.5 c, as described above, then thecomputer knows that the processed cup contains waste, and thus, willensure that that the cup is dumped into the waste bin. Similarly, thecomputer will be able to dump each mineral in the exact mineral bin.

It should be noted that it may be preferred to separate one orecomponent at the time (e.g., waste first, cooper next, and so on). Thus,if for example, waste is to be separated from the ore first, thecomputer will be set to expect waste in the cups. Then, if the computerconfirms that the ore in the cup is pure waste as described above, itwill dump the cup into the waste bin; if not, it will dump it into adifferent (mineral) bin, the content of which will be next similarlyprocessed to separate/extract the valuable minerals.

Regarding the assays described above, in order to save time and costs,once several assays were conducted for the entire temperature range offor example minus 20 c to 100 c, subsequently (e.g., at the time trucksare loaded with ore), the assays may be conducted for smallertemperature ranges (e.g., from minus 10 c to plus 20 c) and the obtaineddata may be used by the computer to extrapolate to a larger temperaturerange (e.g., minus 20 c to 100 c).

Preferably, the waste (and/or the other ore components) is constantlymonitored for its specific heat. If the specific heat of the wastechanges, the computer calculates a new look up table instantly and theoperation continues.

Monitoring the Mineral to Waste Ratio

There may be a need to constantly monitor the mineral(s) to waste,mineral(s) to ore, and/re waste to ore ratio during the processing ofthe ore using any of the above described ore processing methods andsystems. Knowing such ratio may, for example, help determine whether ornot the processing of the ore makes economic sense. For example, if itwas determined that any ore with a mineral content less than 1% is notworth processing, monitoring the ore during processing may helpdetermine if the ore brought to the processing plant by the trucksduring a certain time period, and/or from a certain site, falls belowthe required 1%. If it does, the processing of the ore may need to bestopped and the ore may need to be dumped to the waste pit. Then, a new,richer ore will be need from another site to process.

For the mineral ratio monitoring to be used, an assay of the ore body istypically done first, and the assay data is stored in the computer tocreate a look up table for use by the computer during the actualprocessing of the ore.

For simplification purposes, let's assume that the ore contains wasteand only one valuable mineral. To conduct the assay, typically, aprecise volume of 100% waste is placed in a cup, a first temperature ofthe waste is measured, a precise amount of heat is added to or extractedfrom the waste, a second temperature of the waste is measured, and thenthe computer calculates the temperature change, delta T for waste. Itshould be noted that, alternatively, the computer may use theHeat=specific heat×mass×temperature change equation to compute thetemperature change, delta T, when the cup's content is 100% waste if thespecific heat and the density of the waste are known. Thus, no actualassay is needed if the computer is asked to compute the temperaturechange using the above equation.

Next, the assay is continued or the computer is asked to use the aboveequation to determine the temperature change when the waste ratio in thecup increases or decreases by 0.01 percent, as follows:

Waste volume (%) Mineral volume (%) Temperature change 99.99 waste .01mineral delta T1 99.98 waste .02 mineral delta T2 99.97 waste .03mineral delta T3, and so on, to: .01 waste 99.9 mineral  delta T999 Zerowaste 100 mineral  delta T1000

All the data obtained above is stored in the computer as a look uptable. Now, during the ore processing, the cup is, for example, filledwith a precise/known volume of crushed ore, a first temperature T1 ismeasured and sent to the computer; a precise amount of heat is thenadded to or extracted from the ore; after the heat is added orextracted, a second temperature T2 is measured and sent to the computer,which calculates the temperature change by subtracting T1 from T2. Thecomputer now uses the look up table obtained as described above anddetermines if the cup is 100% waste. If the cup isn't 100% waste, thecomputer determines the ratio of mineral (e.g., 1.2% by volume) by usingthe look up table to identify the matching temperature change, storesthis information, and dumps the cup in the mineral bin.

Again, if the mineral ratio average for a certain period of time isgreater than the minimum acceptable (e.g., 1%), processing continues. Ifnot, again, processing may be stopped and ore from another source (e.g.,richer blast site) may be needed.

It should also be noted that, at the end of the day the mineral ratio inthe mineral bin is also known. The computer may easily calculate anaverage mineral ratio (e.g., 1.24%) of all cups that were processed anddumped into the mineral bin.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described hereinfor the purpose of disclosing the preferred embodiments, someone ofordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate embodimentsand/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the sameresults, and which may be substituted for the specific embodimentsillustrated and described herein without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intendedto cover alternate embodiments and/or equivalent variations of thespecific embodiments illustrated and/or described herein. Hence, thescope of the present invention is defined only by the accompanyingclaims and their equivalent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of ore processing comprising in anyorder the steps of: for each ore constituent that has to be separated,assaying the ore for a predetermined temperature range, said assayingcomprising: bringing a known volume of the ore constituent to apredetermined original first temperature; adding to or extracting fromthe known volume of the ore constituent a known amount of heat;measuring an original second temperature immediately after the additionor extraction of the known amount of heat; and repeating these steps bysuccessively starting by bringing the known volume of the oreconstituent to a new predetermined first temperature that is a selectedfraction of a degree different than the original first temperature; and,during processing, dumping an ore constituent that has to be separatedinto its bin after ensuring that said ore constituent that has to beseparated is divided in volumes equal to the known volume used duringthe assaying, and that to or from each of said volumes of oreconstituent same know amount of heat, as in the assaying, is added orextracted, and after determining that its first measured temperature andits second measured temperature are matching the correspondingtemperatures from the assaying.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising monitoring the ratio of the ore constituent that has to beseparated by comparing a determined measured temperature change withtemperature changes from a look up table.